


Fifteen Men On A Dead Man's Chest

by jiwrites



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, Alternate Universe - Pirates of the Caribbean Fusion, Attempted Murder, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Attempted Sexual Assault, Blood and Violence, Davy Jones' Locker, Explicit Sexual Content, Gun Violence, M/M, Past Relationship(s), Pirates, Pirates of the Caribbean References, Sexual Assault, Sexual Tension, Sirens, Swordfighting, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-14
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-04-25 00:01:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22248397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jiwrites/pseuds/jiwrites
Summary: Hongjoong is the worst pirate on the seven seas, but also the most feared, along with his ragtag crew. Ye be warned.
Relationships: Choi Jongho/Choi San, Jeong Yunho/Kang Yeosang, Jung Wooyoung/Kim Hongjoong, Jung Wooyoung/Original Female Character(s), Jung Wooyoung/Original Male Character(s), Jung Wooyoung/Song Mingi, Kim Hongjoong/Original Female Character(s), Kim Hongjoong/Original Male Character(s), Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa
Comments: 5
Kudos: 55
Collections: Ateez AU Collection (Ongoing)





	1. Yo Ho, Ho! (and a Bottle of Rum)

**Author's Note:**

> San's English is rather broken and he uses another language sometimes so words with an asterisk (*) next to them will be explained in the end notes of each chapter, if there are any.

Hongjoong scowls as he steps off the dock, shoving passed the man collecting fees at the end. No way was he giving him money. Not when last time it was a different man who had tried to steal his precious ship. "Bugger off," he grunts.

Jongho is right behind him, "You really should be more nice."

"Why?" He asks gruffly, "So that they can just bend me over and have their way? I think not."

Jongho grimaces at his captain's words, "Not what I meant, Sir."

"Well, then use your big boy words. I'm tired of you pussyfooting around all the time. You think I'm a bastard and I know it. Grow up." Hongjoong rolls his eyes and continues on his way into the smelly, bustling, loud port known as Tortuga. He'd been coming here for years and he would continue to do so. So long as Wooyoung was there.

Wooyoung was the presttiest man he'd ever laid eyes on, well, apart from San, but San wasn't really a man to Hongjoong. But Wooyoung? Wooyoung was. And it made his profession all the better. He smirks as he steps into the tavern, walking with heavy boots to the bar and leaning against it, "A bottle of your finest rum," he tells the tender behind it. "And a piece of you to go with it?"

Wooyoung turns around with a knowing smirk, "Oi, there ya are. I thought you'd found someone else." He winks, "Let me get this nice man his rum, then I'll go with ya."

Hongjoong grins knowingly and watches Wooyoung grab a bottle and then saunter off, offering his hand behind him as he does so. The older man follows and takes his hand as he leads him upstairs, now moving quickly. They squeeze into a small bedroom, that's really big enough for five people, but they preferred being close. Hongjoong takes the bottle from Wooyoung and gulps some of the liquid, eyes locking with his as he kicks off his boots. "Almost forgot how pretty you were."

"Can't let that happen now, can we?" Wooyoung purrs and steps forward, dropping to his knees in front of the captain.

"No, we cannot," Hongjoong grins and puts his hand in Wooyoung's hair, tipping his head back and gulping some more rum down before groaning into the bottle.

Downstairs, Jongho sits at a table outside the bar, taking in the night air when he hears Mingi's cheerful, booming voice from the dock, "Jong! What ya doin'? Go have a drink!"

He looks up to his friend who walks over to him, precious, beautiful cargo on his arm. San. He smiles at them both and shakes his head, "No, I'd rather not. Have to scoop 'ol Cap up. He's in with Wooyoung."

"I see," Mingi nods while San looks ready to puke.

"That temo* zrat*-"

"Sannie," Mingi coos at the man, "Relax."

San takes a breath and Jongho doesn't miss how his fingernails shift from red to his natural tone. Mingi could always calm him down. It was quite incredible, really. San hated Hongjoong, from the moment Hongjoong did what he did. But Jongho shook his head clear of those thoughts, "Where are you going to go?"

"To get some food and things," Mingi shrugs, "Take San out for some air," he nudges the softer-faced man playfully but San just scowls.

"Well, just be sure not to be too long, okay?"

"Course," he nods and heads off.

Jongho bites his lip and heads inside for a small drink. Not enough to be stumbling, but enough to soothe his mind. He orders a shot of rum and throws it back, looking around at the patrons. Men with dirty faces and dirtier teeth licking their lips as the pretty prostitutes walk by, breasts on display for them. A few of those men also leer at the younger faced, soft boys. Like Jongho. He grows queasy as a man grabs his crotch and shoots him a grin. He turns away.

Jongho hated making port here, but Hongjoong always insisted. After all, it was Hongjoong's home. And for Jongho, it was all he really knew.

See, Jongho had been born on a ship, as far as Hongjoong had told him and the ship was found abandoned by Hongjoong's men and boarded, where they found a crying Jongho. Hongjoong had told him bluntly that he had wanted to kill him, but that Mingi simply wouldn't allow it. So they took him in and taught him the ways of the pirates from a young age. By age twelve, he could navigate a ship, man the sails and even give orders, though there was no real crew to give orders to. Hongjoong had Mingi and that's the way he liked it. Nevertheless, with time grew a bond between what was more like father and son. Hongjoong gave Jongho the title of first mate at age fifteen, to which Mingi reacted with nothing but support and happiness. So, Hongjoong's ship, The Aurora, and Tortuga was all he ever knew for home.

He got lost in his thoughts and hadn't noticed the man coming over to him, with something other than friendship is his eyes and stance. "'Ello there, poppet."

With a frown, Jongho faces him, "H-hi."

"Oi, now, don't sound so scared. Pretty boy like you? Must've had your fair share by now," he says, cupping the boy's jaw. There was the queasiness again.

"Don't touch me," Jongho warns, but the man just strokes his face until he slaps his hand away.

"Oooh, a feisty one. This oughta be fun." He grins sickeningly. He leans in and covers Jongho's mouth with own before being pushed back hard, "Oi! You little tease!"

"Get the fuck away from me, you filth!" He kicks him back when the man stumbled back towards him.

Unfortunately, he kicks him too hard.

The man falls back into a table and spills one of the men's drinks, who then turns to Jongho, "You're gonna pay for that."

Jongho panics and hurls the shot glass at him, only for it to hit another man passing by, who turns to the man behind him and socks him in the jaw. "Bastard!"

The man growls and tackles the other, right in front of the man advancing towards Jongho, leaving him time to escape amidst the mess.

The two men cause drinks to fall and patrons to knock each other, the bar eventually breaking out into a full on brawl. He panics as he swerves through the crowds of people, when guns start to go off, all around him.

He cowers near a corner, desperately trying to avoid the man still looking for him. It's then he sees Mingi and San rushing towards the bar and calls out for them. Mingi gets there first, "Come on, let's get you of here. Go with San."

"Hongjoo-"

"I'll get him. Go. Quickly."

Jongho nods and gets up to run only to be grabbed by the man from before, "You're not going anywhere. I'm gonna teach you some manners, boy. And then, some."

The sound of a gun cocking is all Jongho hears before a familiar voice speaks, "I think it'd be wise you let the boy go. Unless you want what little brains you have splattered across the wall. Savvy?"

Hongjoong groans as he kneels behind Wooyoung on the bed, one hand on the small of his back, the other holding the bottle securely, hips slamming into the other's, "Fuck, have I missed you."

Wooyoung moans out and tosses his head back, "You always say that. Yet, you never stay."

"But I always come back, my sweet," he traces up Wooyoung's spine before he grabs his hair and slams in faster, grunting as he takes a swig from the bottle.

"Captain!" Wooyoung welps, more for Hongjoong's own needs and desires, wanting to please his most loyal customer to the fullest. That's when the commotion downstairs began. "Shit, hold on. I have to go stop th-"

Hongjoong growls and slams his face down into the matress and rams him harder, "Not until we're finished. It will sort itself out."

Wooyoung goes cross-eyed and submits, balling the sheets in his fists, panting and babbling nonsense.

Hongjoong loved that. That he could reduce such a man to a whining mess with just his cock. Made him feel the man that he was. Though, Hongjoong hated the man he was. A cursed man. A pirate. He just shakes his head and gulps more down, plowing into the man beneath him. Wooyoung always took him so well. It's why he kept coming back. He'd known Wooyoung since they were boys. Was Wooyoung's first true customer. It had always been their norm. Wooyoung was what brought him home.

The commotion gets louder as Hongjoong increases in pace yet again, drowning it out before he throws the bottle with a groan and grips Wooyoung with a bit too much force and just lets go, hips stuttering as he desperately chases a high that will never come when he hears a voice cry out to a name he knows. "Sorry about this, love," he says as he pulls out and pulls his pants up, running out of the room, searching for the soruce of the cry; Jongho. He spots San standing just beyond the entrance of the tavern and runs over to find his boy.

That's when he sees the man grab him by the arm and threaten him. Oh, this just will not do, Hongjoong thinks as he draws his pistol and growls out his own threat, voice raspy and tone deadly, "I think it'd be wise you let the boy go. Unless you want what little brains you have splattered across the wall. Savvy?"

"What you want with this little thing? To fuck him yourself?"

"He's my son, you bastard."

"Well, your son's a little fucki-" He never gets the words out as Hongjoong pulls the trigger, splattering himself and Jongho with blood and other matter.

"I wasn't going to kill you, but you just had to run your mouth, didn't you?" Hongjoong sighs as though he pities the man whose form is now lying lifeless on the floor. "And you!" He yells at Jongho, while shoving a fighting pair out of the way when they stumble in front of them, "Stop getting into fucking trouble! Or you'll be next. Ship now. One more thing I have to do." He turns and finds Wooyoung close to him, shocked at what he just saw. "Darling, you always say I never stay...But you also never leave with me...what do you say?" He offers his clean hand.

Wooyoung just nods dumbly and takes it, running out with Hongjoong, grabbing his satchel from behind the bar as they go out the back to avoid the other brawls. They run passed a couple rutting against the side of the brick building and Hongjoong groans, "Lucky bastards."

They reach The Aurora and climb on quickly as Mingi is already getting ready to take off. "Orders, Captain?"

"Head west!" Hongjoong barks as he watches the dock part from their ship, looking at the island with longing eyes, but no use in sticking around for now.

Jongho sits on a barrel near the side of the ship, San cleaning the blood off him, "Come, cloth off."

"Oh, so you want Jongho out of his clothes, but when it's with me, you'd rather have your...what was it? Scales ripped out one by one?"

"Correct," San glares at him and takes Jongho below deck before looking at Wooyoung, "I hope you will feel same at one day," before he disappears below as well.

"Come along then," Hongjoong pulls Wooyoung towards the stern and into his quarter's, kissing his neck as soon as they shut the door behind him.

"What did he mean, then?" Wooyoung asks, craning his neck.

"Who?" Hongjoong breathes, already discarding their clothing again, blood smeared on Wooyoung's neck now.

"That man. He said he wants to have his scales ripped out."

"Is that really important? Come now, you're filthy." He grabs his bucket from the corner and dips his rag in the water, wiping his neck off before wiping the rest of the blood from his own face and body.

"Are you fucking him as well then?" Wooyoung asks, but it's not accusatory or in a hurt way. More curious, than anything.

"No. Not like he'd let me, anyway. You'd think you knew hatred, but you haven't known San's feelings towards me." He says and makes quick works of their footwear and pants.

"I suppose not," he gasps as Hongjoong's mouth latches onto his nipple, "Though I suppose that's not important right now, is it?" He grips his hair and pulls him up into a biting kiss, pushing him back until he lands on the deck and straddles him, sliding down on his length with a groan.

"Now, that's the only sinking I ever want within fifty miles of my ship," Hongjoong hums and watches where he's connected to Wooyoung. "You know, you are the most beautiful thing I have ever laid eyes on."

"For a pirate, that's sad. Have you ever found treasure?" Wooyoung teases as he begins to bounce.

"Not all treasure is silver and gold, Wooyoung," He says, cupping Wooyoung's cheek as he looks up at him.

Wooyoung's stomach leaps at that and he picks up speed, eyes holding contact with Hongjoong's own. He braces his hands on Hongjoong's chest and raises himself higher to come back down harder, panting and moaning his name, almost drowned out by the creaking of the boat as it cuts through the water.

Hongjoong's eyes flutter closed as he hands fall to Wooyoung's hips, moaning out softly.

"Capta-OH SORRY!" Mingi gapes and backs out of the room quickly.

Hongjoong groans and pinches the bridge of his nose, "When I come back from killing Mingi, I promise I will finish inside that perfect little ass of yours."

Wooyoung climbs off and doesn't bother to put his clothes back on, "Go on. I'll be right here when you come back."

Hongjoong kisses him roughly before dressing and heading out with a bark of, "What?!"

Wooyoung wanders around the quarters, trailing his hand on the desk, looking at the things strewn over it. A sextant, a compass, a telescope, an hour glass, a few books, a candle, some coins and maps, along with a quill and ink. Wooyoung tilts his head as he looks at the map on the top of the pile, noticing the black 'X' in the middle of the ocean. Odd, he thought and looked through the stack, eyebrows furrowing as they all seemed the same. He shakes his head and puts them down when a piece of canvas in his book catches his eye and he pulls it out, just a drawing of a key. He chuckles, "What a liar."

He looks up as Hongjoong comes in again, already undressing himself, "What are you doing over there?"

"Finding out you lied to me. You _are_ looking for treasure." He shows him the drawing on the canvas as hes's backed against the desk, sitting atop it, legs encircling his hips.

"And if I lied?" He pushes in and plants his hands on the desk for leverage.

"Then you're dishonest." Wooyoung hums and drops the canvas to the desk, arms going around his neck.

"Aye, but then you can trust me to be dishonest, always. Dishonest are often never truly honest." Hongjoong whispers as he leans into his neck and bites his shoulder, starting to thrust.

"That is very honest," Wooyoung teases as he tangles a hand in Hongjoong's hair.

"I said often never, not never honest," Hongjoong grunts as he picks speed and intensity ready to just get his release.

Wooyoung groans and drags his nails down his back, "C-Captain!"

Hongjoong groans and pushes them down until Wooyoung is flat on his back and he's draped over him, gripping the edge of desk as he pounds into him. Wooyoung's eyes cross as he screams and shoots across their stomachs, streaks of white coating them. Hongjoong wraps his arms around him and hammers in, hips stuttering as he reaches his peak, emptying inside him, eyes locked on the piece of canvas Wooyoung had dropped.

Wooyoung pants and strokes his hair, "Only I can make you cum like that, huh?"

"Aye...only you." Hongjoong says softly.

Wooyoung lets out a breathy laugh, "Dishonesty truly becomes you, Joong."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> temo /temō/ - adj. disgusting  
zrat /zērät/ - n. jerk


	2. What's In Your Head, Boy?

Jongho looks up at San from where he sits, shirtless on his bunk as the older boy cleans him up, still shell shocked from the events that took place. "Hey," San says softly, "It..is o-kay, wolove*." He cups Jongho's now cleaned face and kisses his forehead.

"He...just shot him." Jongho blinks at San.

"He did to protect you. Mean man meant harm." He sighs and starts to clean off Jognho's clothes as best he can. "He did not have to...kizra*, uhm...how you say...kill him, but he not know other way. He much...smaller." He nods affirmatively, sure of his wording.

"Are you...defending his actions? He's becoming emotionless! My own bloody fa-" Jongho stops himself. Honjoong wasn't his father. Not really. He shakes his head, "He's turning into a monster."

"What is...monster?" San looks up, tilting his head as he hangs the shirt on the line to dry.

Jongho watches San, unsure if he can truly explain to this beautiful creature what exactly he's speaking of. San was so innocent to him, a pure being with his too-big shirt borrowed from Mingi falling off his shoulders and down his arms, eyes big and round, shining like the sun on the waves. He sits cross-legged on the bunk across from Jongho's, smile wide and expectant. He was so small in a world far too big and damning for him to handle. But, he had to tell him now. Couldn't disappoint him.

"A monster is...I don't know if you have a word for it...uhm, think of a shark." He watches San tilt his head, wispy and soft blonde hair falling over his eyes, still as beautiful as ever despite being unwashed. He bites his lip and put his hands together, palms and fingers flat against each other, the raises them over his head and slowly sways back and forth as though swimming.

"Oh! Skeka!" San bares his own sharply pointed teeth and shakes his head aggressively as if shaking a fish in his jaws.

"Right. A...skeka. So, it's worse than a whole crew of skekas." He watches San's eyes widen in what seems to be fear and his clawed nails starting to turn a dull yellowish green, but the way San leaned forward like a child would to hear a fairytale, told Jongho to continue. "It kills because it likes to. Because that's what it knows. Just like eating fish is what you know, San. Just like living on this ship with Hongjoong is what I know."

"It...likes it?" He frowns, "No no. You no understand. Skeka kill for food. To live. To survive."

"You don't fear them, San?" Jongho tilts his head.

"I do. But no for their...bad things. For their..." He points to his teeth, "Painful."

"Have you been bitten?"

"Bit-ten?"

"Right, um," Jongho raises his arm and puts his mouth around it, showing his teeth. "Bite."

"OH! Yes!" San nods, "Bitten. Yes."

"Why did they bite you?" He asks.

"Thought San food. No understand. San okay after."

"...Right. Okay. Maybe skeka was a bad example..." He bites his lip, eyebrows knitted as he thinks of another example before he snaps his fingers, "I got it. San, would you like to hear a story?"

"Story? Yes." He draws his knees to his chest, eyes wide with excitement.

"Alright..." He wasn't as good as Mingi was at telling stories, but he remembered one that he'd told him growing up. "San, do you know what a god is?" He asks.

"God...?"

"They rule over...they...protect."

"Protect. Yes."

"They aren't among us. They live elsewhere. Protect from above."

"Sfûrwe...creator."

"Creator. Yes. Good." He nods. "Well, many people have different creators they believe in and some have magic powers...uh," he struggles.

"Magic. Understand." San reassures him.

"Oh, okay. Well, these creators have powerful magic that can do almost anything." He smiles as San starts to listen intently, "There is a creator, a ruler, of the waters, spebas, named Poseidon. He had a naiad daughter, a nymph who lived in the waters-"

"Me?" San asks, touching his own chest gently.

"No, San. Not you." He smiles a bit sadly, but continues. "And this daughter was named Charybdis. She was a soldier, uh, hunter, like her father." He watches San mouth the word 'hunter' and the word for it is his own language to himself. "Her father had a brother, Zeus, creator of the skies," he points up and San seems to understand so he continues, "One day, the brothers, they fight. This angers Charybdis so she made the waters take land, so much of it, it angered Zeus and he swore he would stop her. So he did. He made her mouth," he points to his mouth, "Big and open. And turned her arms and legs," he motions to his, "Into flippers...uh," he points to the carving of a fish in of the beams of the ship, tracing it's fins. "Flippers."

San frowns and nods, "Flippers. Okay."

"She was forced to live in a dark cave...um...hole in rock," he nods when San nods, "And swallows water three times a day in big, big gulps. She swallows ships and sailors too. But, she's not alone."

"Not alone?" San's eyes widen more.

"No. She's not. She has a sister named Scylla. Scylla was the daughter of a creator like Poseidon, but he helped under the water. She was beautiful and that made a god, Glaucus, fall in love with her. But she did not love him back and ran away from him. Glaucus went to Circe, a creator of magic and asked for her to make Scylla love him because he loved her. Circe heard his words and felt her own heart grow attached to him, so she tried to make him to stay with her. When he wouldn't, she decided to put poison in the pool where Scylla bathed. And when Scylla went to bath, she was turned into a monster with six heads," he points to his own. "And three rows of teeth," he bears his. "And twelve feet," he wiggles his own at him. "She lived under a rock on the other side and when sailors go by, she grabs one in each of her mouths and eats them!"

San frowns, "Monsters. Zeus. Circe."

Jongho shakes his head, "No. Scylla and Charybdis are monsters, San. They look scary and they hurt people."

"Not...fault. Zeus mean. Circe...mad. Do to them. Did no wrong."

The young boy stares, mouth hanging open slightly, "I...I guess, yeah. At least you understand what I'm saying. Monsters. Hongjoong is becoming a monster."

"Oh...yes. Agree." San nods and looks up as Mingi comes down.

"What are we doing down here then?" Mingi asks, smiling at the, both.

"Story!" San bounces.

"You want a story?" Mingi chuckles, coming over and ruffling his hair.

"No. Jongho tell."

"You want him to tell one?"

"Oh, no, I just told him one. The one you told me. Of Scylla and Charybdis."

"Oh! Did you like it, San?"

San nods, "Monsters. Like Hongjoong."

Dammit, San. Jongho frowns as Mingi sends him a look, "Why don't you go tend to your chores, San? I wanna talk to Jongho." Mingi smiles as the man nods and heads up on deck, then frowns at Jongho, "Seriously, kid?"

Jongho frowns, "What?"

"You think 'ol cap's a monster?"

"It's not like that. I just...he seems to be a bit off these days and it's frightening."

"Oh, come on, now. Ain't nothin' to be afraid of." He pats Jognho's knee, "You know he was just protectin' you."

"Yeah, but...he didn't even flinch. He just shot him. In the head."

"Because he was trying to hurt you," he sighs. "I've seen him do much much worse." He gets up, walking over to to the small galley, "Don't you at least appareciate that he saved your life?"

"He wanted to kill me!" Jongho laughs, walking over.

"Okay fine, technically I saved your life, but I meant tonight. With that pig." He says, beginning to cut up some of the fish they'd caught today.

"Well, yes...but-" He groans, shaking his head, "There was a better way to do it."

"Which was?"

"I don't know, but-"

"Stop it. He did what he did and there's no use gettin' upset about it anymore." He says and turns on their small flame, putting the pan over it and melting a tiny bit of butter in it, "Now, watch this and make sure it doesn't burn while I go see if the captain and his guest will be accompanying us," he pats his head and heads back up on deck. He smiles as he watches San carefully mend the nets as he's supposed to, walking towards the captain's quarters and walking in, "Capta-OH SORRY!" He backs out quickly, eyes wide with what he just witnessed.

Hongjoong glares as he walks out a minute later, "What?!"

Mingi starts to laugh, "Sorry, Captain," he snorts.

"Talk now or I will go get my knife."

"Sorry! Sorry!" He sucks in a breath, smiling, "Just wondering if you and your guest there will be joining us for dinner is all."

"And what is it we're having tonight?" Hongjoong glares.

"Only the finest fried fish you could ever want." Mingi winks.

"We'll eat later. Thank you. Is that all?" He grits out.

"Yep. Please. Return to your activities," he smirks as Hongjoong walks away and walks below deck, grinning to himself.

"What's so funny?" Jongho asks as he melts the butter in the pan.

"Nothing, nothing," Mingi smiles and takes over, laying one of the cuts of fish in it, listening to them sizzle. "You're not off the hook, but there's no use in griping about it right now. "Instead, how about you tell me why you chose that story?"

"Well, I tried to explain it with sharks."

"Oh, well that's a good comparison. He is quite like a shark." Mingi nods.

"Yes. But San didn't get it. He said sharks are fine, just that their teeth are scary and that he'd been bitten. But he understands why they bit him."

"...That man is wise beyond his years," Mingi laughs, shaking his head.

"Yeah, well, I had to think of something else and I thought of the one you told me when we sailed near Italy. About Odysseus and what monsters and disasters they encountered. And I thought, hey they're water monsters...maybe San would understand."

"And he did. Called them monsters when I came down."

"No. He was calling Zeus and Circe monsters. That Scylla and Charybdis were innocent." Jongho sighs.

"Can't say I disagree with him," Mingi shrugs, "I mean...Scylla and Charybdis were transformed into monsters. They weren't botn that way. And Zeus and Circe definitely weren't the greatest people for doing what they did." He says, flipping the fish over.

"...I guess...Jeez, how is he wiser than us on these things?"

"Jongho, my darling boy, everyone is wiser than you. You're young. You don't have the life experience we do."

"San's young too!"

"Yes. But he's done more. He's faced more." He pets Jongho's head, "Don't be upset at me. You know I'm right."

"Yeah, yeah," the younger male sighs and plops onto the floor, "But one day, I'll be wise like you guys are. And then everyone will come to me."

"Careful what you wish for there." He chuckles, "Hongjoong and I aren't unburdened just because we're wise. And we still make bad decisions. You don't just become someone amazing because you have wisdom, Jong. Remember that. Now, go help San while I finish up cooking. He looked like he was about done with one of the nets." He says, taking the one fish out of the pan and putting in the second.

Jongho nods and heads up on deck, looking for San, breath catching when he sees him, moonlight bouncing off his tan skin and blonde hair, almost like sea foam crashing onto the cliffs. He shakes his head and walks over, "Hey, you need any help?"

"Mmm no. Done." He shows him his handy work on the net, all patched up, like it had never even been torn. He smiles with pointy teeth and Jongho and then folds the net, "Help carry?"

Jongho knew San wasn't weak by any means but for some reason, he always asked the boy for help to move things and open jars or to carry the bucket used to swab the deck."Of course," he takes the net, only about fifteen pounds and carries it to the side of the boat where it will be cast out again tomorrow morning. He looks up to see San staring out over the waves and bites his lip, "You miss it, don't you? Your home?"

"Home. Yes. Miss much." San nods and wraps his arms around himself, eyes longing and mouth set in a thin frown.

"Well, you'll go back one day. Won't you?"

"Hope." Is all San says before he takes Jongho's hand and takes them both below deck for dinner.

Mingi looks up, "Was just about to call you. Dinner is served." He motions to the plates on the small table.

San skips over and sits down, his plate having one raw fish on it, not deboned or cut up, just the way San liked it. "Thank!"

Jongho walks over, sitting down with own plate, identical to Mingi's with a fried fish cut on it. "Thank you for dinner."

Mingi smiles and nods, "Dig in." He picks up his own fish and bites into it, chuckling as San takes his in both hands and tears the head clean off with his mouth. "Never gonna get over that."

"Me neither," Jongho laughs as he eats his own, "I could never eat the fish eyes."

"Tasty!" San says through a mouthful, taking another bite of the tail to fill his mouth even more.

It was quiet for the most part of dinner, since no one really had any stories to tell or wanted to talk about the events that took place earlier that day. But no one was complaining.

Mingi washes up the plates and stacks them away in a cupboard, listening as San and Jongho climb into their bunks, ready to go to bed and start a new, better day tomorrow. He dries his hands and kisses their foreheads as he goes, putting the lantern out as he goes above deck, finding Hongjoong at the wheel. "Hey...if you want some dinner, just let me know. I'll fry it up real quick."

"I'm fine. And Wooyoung's asleep," he says, but his voice sounds off, concerned and maybe a little nervous.

"Cap? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, Mingi. Just go to sleep. I'll man the wheel til morning."

"But, Cap-"

"I said go to sleep. It's no use talking about anything so late. Get some rest." He pats his friend's shoulder before watching him go below deck and looking out onto the horizon. "I just need to find my treasure. And soon." He says, looking down at his hand, now wrapped in a bandage and shakes his head. "Very soon."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wolove /wōlōvë/ n. love  
skeka /skekä/ n. shark  
kizra /kēzrä/ n. kill  
sfûrwe /fīr-we/ n. creator  
speba /spe-bä/ n. water


	3. Where Do The Stories Come From, I Wonder

_The harsh waves rocked the ship violently, waking a young boy from his sleep. He gets up and searches for his parents, but can’t seem to find them, especially in the dark. Grabbing the lantern near him, he lights it and heads up to the deck, his eyes met with a bright orange blaze. The lantern falls to his feet with a large crash, legs quivering with fear, an amber liquid dripping down them._

_He’s afraid to move, but somehow finds a way to walk forward to the blaze, eyes searching for anything familiar or safe. But what he saw instead was two lifeless forms in the flames, curled up, something deeply crimson pooling beneath him. He wants to reach forward, but he doesn’t. Knows he shouldn’t._

_It was then that he heard the voices. Two of them._

_“We can’t just leave him. You know we can’t. It’s wrong.”_

_“We have to! There’s no other choice and you know that!”_

_“No, you’re wrong.”_

_“Well,the only other choice we have is to kill-”_

_“No. Absolutely not. That’s just cruel.”_

_“Well, what would you have us do then? Drop him off and get ourselves arrested as well?”_

_“No, we take him with us.”_

_“What?! Are you out of your mind?!”_

_“No, it’s humane.”_

_“It’s ridiculous!”_

_“Well, you’ll have to deal with it. You created this problem, now you have to deal with the consequences.”_

_Hearing two pairs of boots approach, he runs behind some barrels on the side of the ship, huddling behind them and watching from over the top as they disappear below deck. He peeks back at the fire and thinks he sees one of the figures move, but before he can move the second man comes up and orders the first to help him search the entire ship._

_He ducks back behind the barrels and curls up, trying to hide from the lights of their lanterns, menacing shadows dancing all around him. A pair of boots near him and his heart is ready to leap from his chest when he hears, “Oi, over here!”_

_“Where? Let me see,” the other snarls and when the boy looks up, a sword is coming straight towards him, the faceless sailor above him leaning to grab him and-_

Jongho wakes up in a cold sweat, panting and sitting straight up in his bed, eyes struggling to adjust to the pitch black all around him. He’d hated that dream, if one could even call it that, because it was always the same. A small boy Jongho didn’t know but felt was familiar finds a fire and gets hunted down by faceless men with swords bigger than the boy was and it always ended right before he was...well, Jongho didn’t like to think about what happens after. He shakes his head and pushes his moisture slicked hair back off his forehead, slipping from his bunk to go up to the deck.

It’s quiet and peaceful, just the sound of waves lapping at the sides of the ship, gently lulling the vessel and its occupants. He liked nights like these, just him, the ocean and the stars. Mingi used to tell him stories about the stars. Stars like Argo Navis. Argo Navis, the most feared ship to sailors and men alike, as the story went about the misfortune of its captain Jason.

_“Jason was the fearless leader of the Argonauts which included the hero Heracles, the poet Orprheus and the son of Poseidon, Theseus, who boarded a ship called Argo Navis that was used in their journey to recover the golden fleece,” Mingi says as he points up and traces shapes in the twinkling blue dots that kept a seven year old Jongho enchanted on Mingi’s lap._

_“Why?” Jongho asks curiously, following Mingi’s finger on its path of the ship in the sky._

_“Because he needed to bring it back to the man in order to win his spot at the throne. See, he was the rightful king and a man stole it away from him wrongly. So, he insisted this man give him back the crown, but the man, whose name was Pelias, refused and said he must go on a quest for him first.” Mingi laughs as Jongho just stares up and nods, invested in his story._

_“Well what Jason didn’t know was that the quest was actually supposed to be impossible, because Pelias wanted him to go away forever.”_

_“Like my parents?”_

_“Yeah,” Mingi sighs softly, “Like your parents, Jong… Anyway,” he hugs him closer to his chest, resting his chin on his head, “Jason accepted and banded together a group of warriors and set sail for his quest. He first landed on the Isle of Lemnos-”_

_“Where’s that?”_

_“Far far away from us in a not so magical land that you should never ever visit,” he kisses his head, hating the violence of the stories, but knowing Jongho needed to grow up sooner rather than later. “This isle was filled with women who had been rejected by their husbands and were hurt so badly, they killed them all.” He rocks the small boy gently, knowing sometimes these stories scared him deeply. “And when the sailors arrived, they did not find the women repulsive and instead made mothers of them that bore children to repopulate their race. Understand?”_

_Jongho nods, “They had babies,” he leans back against Mingi, head resting on his chest, tucked securely under the man’s chin._

_“Right, so Heracles made them leave, knowing they were supposed to be on a quest to get their rightful king on the throne. After that, they sailed for a while until they washed ashore on Bear Mountain, a place where they were treated graciously, much like we are when we visit home. You know, Tortuga.” He continues as Jongho nods affirmatively, “Well, unfortunately, the king there forgot to tell them of beasts that lived just beyond Bear Mountain.”_

_“B-beasts?” Jognho’s voice shakes. “L-like monsters?”_

_“Yes, big great Giants with six arms and anger towards anyone that dared venture beyond Bear Mountain as it was their land. When they saw the Argo Navis, they attacked and raided it, killing some of the men on board. But, Heracles fought them off like the hero he was until the other came back and they could sail away. But it got too dark and they ended up back on Bear Mountain! The king couldn’t tell who they were and instead attacked them, getting himself killed. Jason saw what had happened when daybreak came and felt so bad that he helped to hold a funeral for the fallen king.”_

_“Funeral?”_

_“Yes. Um, when someone dies that you liked a lot, you bury them in the ground and say a prayer, like the ones I taught you. Where you pray to the gods to bring their soul peace and a safe journey into the afterlife.”_

_“Oh,” Jongho nods, “Did they pray to Neptune like we do?”_

_“Some do, yes. Some pray to his twin, Poseidon.” Mingi explains, hoping it would quell Jongho for the rest of the story, so he could get the boy to fall asleep. Mingi knew Jongho loved stories and was asked almost every night by the boy to tell him them so he could go to bed. “After that,” he continues, “They sail away to meet a man who is starving as a punishment by the gods for killing his own sons. This does not please Jason, but he knows that the man has the answer of where he needs to go to get to the fleece.”_

_Jongho doesn’t seem to have a comment so Mingi presses on, “Jason soon realized that the things stealing the food were called Harpies. Harpies are nasty creatures, birds with sharp talons and wings black as night and faces that are purely human. But, when a Harpy looks at you with it’s empty eyes and snarls it’s stained teeth at you, you understand they are not kind. They move twice as fast as the wind and are invoked only by the gods themselves to inflict pain and punishment against the guilty.”_

_“Jason snuck out after the food was left for the man and killed the Harpies that came for it, delivering the first food the man had had in a while. In return for this generous favour, he gave Jason the location and told him how to get passed clashing rocks on the way there. These rocks proved to be dangerous, but luckily the man from before gave them a hint on how to get through. Taking a dove he told them to catch on his island, to release it between the rock passage. If the dove made it, to row with all their might, but if the dove was crushed, they were doomed. So,-”_

_“Wait, wait. Why couldn't they just go around?” Jongho frowns up at him._

_“The island was encircled with them,” Mingi hushes him, “Now, when they let go of the dove, it-”_

_“But why a dove? Why not like a fish or something? Wouldn’t that be easier because they’re in the ocean?”_

_“No. Doves fly,” Mingi shrugs. “The tops of the rocks are what moved, so the bird would actually get crushed.”_

_“But then they could go under!”_

_“No, they moved over the surface completely. Like they were on top of the water.”_

_“So, then just knock them ov-”_

_“Jongho, there was no other way.” Mingi laughs at the boy, struggling to deter him from asking more questions. “They had to or they would never get the fleece and he would never be king. So, the dove flew between the rocks and made it! On they sailed, with a little damage to their ship but nothing to where the Argo Navis wouldn’t be able to sail. Kind of like when I have to fix the leaks in the bottom sometimes.”_

_Jongho nods in understanding and Mingi yawns, getting sleepy himself, “They arrive safely and meet Aeëtes, king of Colchis who owns the golden fleece. The king tells Jason he will only give him the fleece if he can complete three tasks, the likes of which are impossible by normal standards. Jason became discouraged and fell into a sadness, not knowing how to reclaim his throne if not with the golden fleece.”_

_“Poor Jason! I don’t like this story, Mingi…”_

_“Do you want me to stop?”_

_“...No. It’s okay. I’m strong. I can do it!”_

_“Atta boy,” Mingi smiles. “So, when the goddess Hera, who liked Jason’s nature, saw this she took it upon herself to ask the goddess Aphrodite to convince her son Eros to help. They figured the only way to do this was to ask Eros to make the king’s daughter, Medea, to fall in love with Jason. Eros did as was requested of him and cast a spell on Medea, persuading to fall for Jason and in turn, help him with the three tasks set forth by her father. The first was to plow a field with fire-breathing Oxen, like the big bulls you sometimes see at the market.”_

_“They breathe fire?!”_

_Mingi snorts, shaking his head, “No, no. The ones on Colchis did, but not the ones here. These were specifically used to plow the field so Jason could move on to the next task. But, the flames would hurt Jason as he led them, so Medea created an ointment that made it so Jason was unharmed. This allowed him to then plant the teeth of a dragon in the field. These teeth would become fully armoured soldiers, like the ones in the paintings. These soldiers were deadly and would most likely have killed Jason if he wasn’t such a fast thinker and confused them by tossing a rock into the middle of them. Not knowing where the threat had come from, they attacked each other, eventually killing them all in the process. This did not scare the king as he knew the last task was impossible and soon Jason would be eaten and gone for good.”_

_“Eaten?!”_

_“Yes! By a great, big, fire-breathing dragon that guarded the golden fleece that hung on the limb of a tree on Colchis. You probably think he could just wait for the dragon to sleep, but the thing was, this dragon never ever closed his eyes. He was always awake and on guard to keep his treasure safe. So, Medea came up with a potion that would make the dragon sleep if sprayed directly on him. So, Jason crept up and sprayed the mighty beast, causing it to fall into a deep slumber before he ran and retrieved the fleece. Angered that Jason had outwitted him, Aeëtes began to chase Jason and Medea to kill them both for betrayal. But Medea and Jason escaped and sailed away.”_

_“Zeus was angry though, for what they had done, and blew a strong wind to blow them off course. Zeus was the twin of who we pray to, Jupiter. With this, the ship itself spoke and told them to visit Circe, a magical nymph who could cleanse them. After completing this, they set sail for home yet again. But, it wasn’t quite over yet. They still had a few obstacles to get passed.”_

_“Sirens. You know sirens, don’t you?”_

_“Yeah. They’ve got real neat tails, but Hongjoong says we can’t listen to ‘em, because they aren’t very kind.”_

_“That’s right. Well, they have to sail past sirens! Which is awful scary! But Orpheus, the poet from the beginning, knew how to play the lyre and played loud enough to drown out the sirens. They sailed away from the angered women, who soon became distracted by yet another ship with unsuspecting sailors on board, allowing the Argo Navis to sail through unharmed. But, as they sailed further, they came to the island of Crete, where the lover of Zeus was. The woman, by the name of Europa, was lovely and thought to be too likely to be taken if not guarded. Zeus employed a giant man of bronze, named Talos, to protect his beloved and kill anyone who dares near the island. He saw the Argo Navis and began to hurl large stones at it to keep it at bay, but Medea knew of his weakness. He had one toenail, that if removed, would cause him to die, so Medea worked on a potion to calm him enough so that she could remove said nail. After he died, they were able to sail around Crete and continue their journey home where there was a large celebration as Jason returned with the golden fleece.”_

_“That was a good ending!”_

_Mingi, with a pang in his cheat, nodded along, “It was, wasn’t it?” He chuckles, “Now, run off to bed. I’ll be down in a minute to tuck you in. I have to see to our catch,” he nods over at the cage on the deck. Inside, something glowed bright blue and shone from the rays of the moon all over the deck, making it almost crystalline and more beautiful than anything Jongho had ever seen._

Of course, it wouldn’t be for many years that Jongho would learn the true end of that story with murder, betrayal and ultimately the untimely death of Jason when the stern of his beloved ship fell on him and killed him instantly while he slept. But, for the time that he had heard the first part only, it brought him a sense of hope. That someone like Jason could overcome all of those obstacles and trials, so maybe he could too one day. This hope was cut short when Mingi decided to tell him the rest of the tale and Jongho cried for an hour in the darkness of the cabin so Hongjoong wouldn’t see and scold him.

He walks over to where the cage used to be and sits, looking up at the moon, wondering what that poor creature must have gone through, as Jongho was too young to truly understand it was unhappy. He would poke and prod all day long, plucking scales and petting its hair, the creature unable to protest or even speak in his situation. Jongho would also learn of those horrors later and it caused a shiver to go up his spine as he pulled his knees to his chest, using one finger to trace the indent of the metal on the wood, where it sat for months.

He wraps his arms around himself and looks up at the ship in the sky, sighing softly as he starts to sing the song he heard Mingi sing to the cage most nights. “I’m singing this song to the one I love best, and her picture is tattooed all over my chest. Hay ho little fishes, don’t cry, don’t cry. Hay ho little fishes, don’t cry don’t cry…”


End file.
